Harris Teeter president to retire
A grocery banner of The Kroger Co. will replace its outgoing president with a current senior executive.
Harris Teeter is announcing president Rod Antolock's retirement after nearly 22 years with the organization, effective Feb. 1, 2022. He will be succeeded by Tammy DeBoer, currently Harris Teeter's senior VP of merchandising, operations, and marketing.
Antolock joined Harris Teeter in 2000, and he has served in numerous executive positions, including senior VP of operations and senior VP of operations and merchandising. Antolock was promoted to executive VP in 2012, where he led several teams, including merchandising, operations, marketing, HR, loss prevention, store development, quality assurance and distribution, and manufacturing.
He was named president of Harris Teeter in 2015. Prior to joining Harris Teeter, Antolock served in various leadership roles for Albertsons Companies between 1978 and 2000.
During his time with Harris Teeter, Antolock led the development of the company's "Service Excellence" customer engagement model and introduced a new urban upscale model, expanded store format, and a model store walk concept. Under his leadership, Harris Teeter also expanded into multiple new geographies, including Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Delaware.
"Rod's leadership has been instrumental to the growth and success of Harris Teeter for more than two decades. His commitment to customer service and quality will continue to guide Harris Teeter into the future," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger chairman and CEO.
DeBoer, currently senior VP of merchandising, operations, and marketing for Harris Teeter, has been promoted to president of the company, succeeding Antolock. She has more than 25 years of retail experience and joined Harris Teeter in 2020, leading operations, merchandising, and marketing and overseeing the company's 258 stores across seven states and Washington, D.C.
Previously, DeBoer served as an executive with Family Dollar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dollar Tree Inc., where she most recently served as the organization's executive VP and chief merchandising officer. Prior to joining Family Dollar, she spent 19 years with Delhaize where she held various leadership roles in merchandising and operations and led the company through acquisitions and introduction of pilot stores.
"Tammy is a seasoned veteran of the retail industry. Her broad and deep experience, including brand transformation, merchandising, operations, and more, make her a true asset to Harris Teeter and the leading choice to assume the role of president," said Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger's senior VP of operations.
DeBoer holds a bachelor's degree in technology from Appalachian State University and completed the Supermarket Business Executive course with Cornell University. She has been recognized several times as "One of the Most Influential Women in Mass Market Retail" by MMR. Progressive Grocer named her a "Top Female Executive in the Supermarket Industry," the Griffin Report listed her as a "Top Female Executive in the Grocery Industry," and the Mecklenburg Times recognized her as one of the "50 Most Influential Women in Charlotte."
Harris Teeter, with headquarters in Matthews, N.C., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. The regional grocery chain operates stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia.